Term of Endearment
by LeaderOfTheRevolution
Summary: NikolaxOC "You're here," said Nikola, "because the lovely Helen Magnus holds no faith in my abilities as a scientist and therefore deemed it necessary to add yet another brilliant mind to the mixing pot of failure." a bit AU
1. Rosabel Page

A/N: this is my first sanctuary fanfic. and i only wrote it because Nikola Tesla makes me smile. xD

please enjoyyy.

* * *

"It's been ten years, Helen," I said with a smile.

"Yes," Helen Magnus replied, a tad uneasily. "It has."

* * *

It was my first visit to the Sanctuary since I was a child. John had yanked me, quite literally, from my apartment in New York, depositing me unceremoniously onto the floor. I, of course, wrenched my arm away from him and promptly began babbling nonsense.

"What the hell was that for? You could've killed me, John! A little warning would have been nice--"

"I've brought her, Helen," said John, purposely ignoring me. He had never liked me. I think it was because I bit him all those years ago.

"Good."

I looked over John's tall shoulder and smiled. "Helen! Long time no see!"

She hesitantly returned the smile. "Yes, thankfully. The last time I saw you, you were dying."

"Well, I suppose in that regard it's a wonderful thing that I haven't seen you. To what do I owe the honor?"

Helen seemed about to answer when a man walked up behind her, saying, "Magnus, Henry's been looking for you. He wants to know when you want to test the EM-shield's upgrades--" He stopped abruptly. "Who's she?"

"That, William," said another voice, "is Rosabel Page."

I recognized the voice immediately and groaned. "Dear God, Tesla, _you're _here?"

"Nice to see you too, my dear." The half-vampire rolled his eyes.

"Ah, yes, there's the sarcasm I've missed so dearly."

"Will," Helen interrupted, desperate to avoid a fight between Nikola and myself, "this is Miss Page, a friend of mine. I took care of her when she was injured by an Abnormal attack many years ago."

"So that means you're..." began Will.

"100% human," I said, twirling in a small circle. "Now, Helen, what exactly am I here for?"

"You're here," said Nikola, "because the lovely Helen Magnus holds no faith in my abilities as a scientist and therefore deemed it necessary to add yet another brilliant mind to the mixing pot of failure."

I blinked. "Someone sounds bitter."

Will laughed and said, "You'd be bitter, too. Nikola Tesla hates to have his ego damaged."

"Don't I know it," I agreed in a tragic tone.

Nikola bristled, turning to Helen. "Are we really going to ask help from a _child_, Helen? Quite frankly it's insulting to my intelligence."

"I'm not a child."

"You're, what, twenty?"

"Twenty-two," I said, straightening. I hated when people underestimated me because of my age.

"I'm so sorry, twenty-_two_. I'm over one hundred and fifty, thank you very much."

"Not my problem, Grandpa. Now can someone _else_ tell me why I'm here?"

"Oh, honestly, you two," snapped John. "She's been here five minutes, and you're already fighting with each other?"

I shrugged. "He started it."

Nikola shot me a glare as if to say _Real mature_, but didn't say anything else.

"The thing is, Rose," said Helen slowly. "We need your help."

I bowed dramatically. "As always, Miss Magnus, I am at your service."

* * *

"You haven't changed much, you know." Helen folded her hands on the desk in front of her. I fidgeted in my seat slightly, playing absently with a strand of my shoulder-length red hair. "You're still fighting with Nikola like a cat and dog."

"He just bothers me."

"I know, Rose, but I trust you will keep the fights to a minimum while you're here. Can you do that for me?"

"I guess, Helen. As long as I don't have to hear too much crap about his 'scientific genius'." I rolled my eyes and snorted.

She laughed lightly. "I suppose that's all I can hope for. You'll start working with Henry immediately, if that's alright."

_Do I really have a choice, Helen? _"Yeah. It's fine."

* * *

"Hi, Henry," I said. "My name's Rose Page, and..." I trailed off, still unsure as to what exactly I was doing here. "Helen sent me?"

"Oh." Henry blinked. "_Oh_." He smiled in understanding. "Right, you're Rose. Okay. Your work space is over here." He gestured to a metal table with a blinking laptop atop it. "Are you really a geneticist?"

"I dabble," I said, shrugging.

"So, what's your story with Tesla?" he asked. "I heard from Will and Jack the Ripper that you guys are at odds."

"Something like that. It's more of a battle of wits." I sat down in front of the laptop. "Picture a fight between Einstein and Thomas Edison, me as Einstein and him as Edison. Now lower the maturity level to that of...oh, say...six year olds?"

Henry laughed. "That sounds entertaining."

"Very. Crowds love us."

Shaking his head as he chuckled, Henry turned back to his computer. "It's going to be fun having you around, isn't it?"

I smiled a little, but, assuming it to be a rhetorical question, didn't say anything. With any luck, I would be able to avoid the sarcastic half-vampire. Then again, I'd never had a large supply of luck at my disposal.

* * *

A/N: well? **i need feedback, people.**

if people don't review this, i'm just scrapping it. come on, there's a pretty little button right below this author's note. click it. pleeeease.


	2. Big Words and Davey Havok

A/N: wow, people are actually reading and enjoying this! yay!  


* * *

"_Come day, you'll say you cannot stay. What's more, I'll feel the same. It happens every time. So I've come to find everyone goes away. I'm destined to remain. You were never mine, so you were perfect,_"I sang loudly.

My iPod, plugged into my laptop which was, in turn, attached to two very large speakers, had been blasting music for the better part of an hour. It was, frankly, how I worked best. Usually I used the headphones to be courteous to Henry, but for the moment, Henry was gone. Helen needed him on some top-secret mission regarding the location (and possibly the destruction) of the Cabal. I asked her about it when she came to retrieve Henry, but all she would say on the matter was, "I don't think it's necessary to get you involved just yet, Rose."

So she took Henry, leaving me to look after the Sanctuary's defenses. I'd been here a little over 24 hours, but Henry had already gone over the basics of their systems, and the rest I could figure out for myself. I _did _have a pretty high I.Q.

The song changed, and I took that opportunity to wheel my chair over to Henry's screen. I raked my eyes over it, double checking the shields, bringing up the security cameras and letting myself briefly scan the footage. Nothing amiss. A quick push against the edge of the table and I was back to my desk. I peered closely at the table of data displayed on my laptop screen.

"What on Earth are you listening to?"

Nikola's voice cut harshly through Davey Havok's, and I jumped. Turning to scowl at him for interrupting, I said, "AFI."

"It's horrid," he replied, his face wrinkling in disgust.

I rolled my eyes and faced my computer again. "What are you doing, Tesla?"

"What?" I heard him saunter into the room. And yes, I mean _saunter_. That man just can't walk normally. "No witty response? No cutting remark? Don't tell me you've resigned yourself to the fact that you're stuck with me, Rosabel."

I tensed at my first name. "Don't call me Rosabel."

"Why? I've always called you that." I could tell he was smirking. He always was when he spoke to me.

"And I'm not 'stuck with you'," I said. "We work on opposite ends of the Sanctuary. If you hadn't shown up here of your own free will, there is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have seen you all day." I stared pointedly at the screen, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

"You've grown up to be a killjoy, my dear."

I peeked out of the corner of my eye, and he was indeed leaving. I silently rejoiced, reading the data on the screen. Then, suddenly, I frowned. _Damn._

"Tesla," I called. No response. He had already left. Damn. I really didn't want to chase after him, my dignity just wouldn't allow it, but..._Good of humanity. Do it for the good of humanity. And Abnormality. I don't think I used that right but...that's not the point! _"Tesla!"

I stood, half-running out the doorway. "Hey, Tesla, wait!"

"Would it kill you to call me by my first name?"

I spun around. He was leaning against the door frame behind me."Yes," I said stiffly. "But just shut up for a sec."

He raised a delicate eyebrow. "You must know me quite well, because I respond greatly to that."

"Okay, look." I took a deep breath, trying not to get irritated. "This might be a bit much to ask, but I need a sample of your blood."

Now both eyebrows were raised, nearly to his hairline. "How big of a sample?"

I hesitated, doing the calculations in my head. "Probably a pint or two would suffice."

"You might want to look up the definition of 'sample', my dear."

I frowned, and Nikola sighed.

"Generally, when one says 'sample', they mean a drop or a finger prick. A _pint_ usually doesn't fall under that category."

"Oh come on, you're a _vampire_, Tesla. I'm sure a pint of blood is no big thing for you."

"Why don't I take two pints of your blood and see how dandy you feel after that, hm?"

"I'm human, it's different," I said stubbornly.

"What do you need my blood for anyway?"

I fidgeted. "Helen wants me to come up with ways to combat the Cabal. In essence, she wants me to think like them so we have some idea of what we're dealing with. And since I'm a geneticist...sort of...it won't be that hard. But I would need the Source blood."

Nikola eyed me for a moment, his hands in the pockets of his tailored, and no doubt expensive, suit coat. Then he said, "I don't know how much Helen's trusted you with, but I'm almost positive you're aware of the itsy-bitsy little fact that the Cabal have the last of the Source blood."

"Yes." I nodded. "But I have a plan to recreate the blood."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to use blood from someone who has been injected with the Source blood and separate the human and the Abnormal blood, siphoning it away until all that's left is the minuscule amount of Source blood still remaining. Then, once I get a clear picture of it's genetic makeup, I'm confident I can clone it."

"You're going to clone Source blood." Nikola began chuckling. "Ah the hopeful naivete. To be young again."

"It's not naive! It'll work!" I protested, feeling suddenly like I was twelve all over again.

"When you're as old as I am, everyone around you is naive, Rosabel."

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha Grandpa. So, can I have your blood now or what?"

"When you put it so politely, how can I say no?" He chuckled again. "But, if I may ask, why my blood?"

"Vampire DNA is easiest to identify, so it'll be easier to separate once I get the technique down."

"You haven't even finished the _technique_?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I've only been here a day. What do you want, a twelve-page dissertation?" I snorted, adding, "It'll get done, don't worry your pretty little head."

He grinned widely and I flinched, wondering what I'd said to make him so gleeful.

"You really think my head is pretty, Rosabel?"

For the third time in less than a day, I rolled my eyes. "Get out of here, Tesla."

He bowed mockingly. "As you wish. When you have finished creating the method by which you are attempting this miraculous feat, I shall happily bestow upon you a pint of my vampire blood."

With that lengthy speech, he was gone. I turned the volume up on my music, trying to drown my thoughts. Why was it that every time he used big words to mock me like that, my face burned?

* * *

A/N: well? i won't always update this quickly, haha. don't get used to it. ^_^

**review please_._**


	3. Messing with Rose

A/N: mkaaay chapter three! :D

* * *

"Hey, Rose," said Henry, smiling. "How's the project coming?"

I grunted noncommittally. "How was the oh-so-secret mission?"

"Not so secret." He sighed. "We got ambushed."

I sat up straighter and asked, concerned, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. No one got badly hurt. Will did get..." Henry gestured, hooking his fingers into claws. "Scratched, though. But he's fine."

"Oh. Well...that's good then." I tapped a pencil against my cheek distractedly, then set it down and picked up the needle by my laptop. I stabbed my finger in a swift motion, wincing, and squeezed a drop of blood onto the square of glass on the left side of the laptop.

"Is that an analyzing slide?" asked Henry, looking over my shoulder.

"Yeah. I couldn't find one lying around so I made one out of a piece of glass and a microchip. It didn't take much tweaking."

He nodded once. "Impressive."

The computer began trying to analyze the sample. It got through the first string of DNA and promptly froze. I sighed and pressed the power button. The screen went black.

"I'm going to take a break," I muttered to Henry. "Stretch my legs and all that jazz."

Then I set my half-asleep legs in the direction of the library.

* * *

There was only one book with even a mention of the Source blood, and I plucked it carefully from its shelf. I had just opened it to its first chapter when my eyes were drawn to the grand piano in the corner. I stood hesitantly as music flooded into my brain. I remembered a song, a song someone had played for me before. The name of the song and the person who played it, however, escaped me. I sat down on the bench, lifted the lid, and plunked my index finger down on one key. The note echoed through the library and through my head. I hummed quietly to the song in my mind, and my fingers found the keys of their own accord.

_Beautiful song..._

Someone had played this for me when I was little. When I was here. The name, what was the name?

"Raindrop Prelude, No. 15."

I jumped, my fingers stilling over the piano keys. "Tesla?"

He ignored me, pulling his hands out of his pockets and seating himself on the bench next to me. He had already set a glass of red wine on the top of the piano, and now he picked it up delicately, taking a brief sip. His fingers splayed out comfortably over the white keys of the piano, and he began to play.

"It shows you haven't been brainwashed by that crap you were playing earlier. I don't know how you can even call that music. It was just noise. Awful."

I stared, transfixed by his hands, his fingers. "This song..."

"It's the same song you were just playing, Rosabel," he said. "Don't look so shocked."

"No, this song..." I looked away from his hands and up at his face. He was smirking, as if he already knew what I was going to say. "I was taught this song ten years ago, the last time I was here in the Sanctuary. I was scared and I was recovering, and I hadn't spoken to anyone. But someone...Someone brought me here and taught me to play that song, and--"

"I know." His smirk grew. "I was the one who taught it to you."

Okay. So maybe he _did _know what I was going to say.

Wait. WHAT?!

"_You_ taught it to me?" I said incredulously, my mouth dropping.

"Yes." His fingers never stilled, moving skillfully. The song filled the library. He was talented. "You wouldn't talk to anyone, as you previously stated. I found you huddled in a corner. Instead of trying to pry you out, as Helen would undoubtedly have done, I simply sat down at the piano and played. You came to me of your own accord."

I simply stared.

"You were fascinated by the piano," he said, laughing. "Demanded that I teach you. First thing you'd said, and you _demanded_. Even then you were a brat."

"I'm not a _brat_--"

"You wouldn't shut up after that. Talked to everyone and every_thing_. Any new creature that Helen brought in this hell-house and you chatted it up. She was starting to think you were really five instead of twelve. You would practice this song for hours, too. Up until God knew what time." He sighed. "I didn't get any sleep after that. I suppose I can only blame myself. It's my fault you grew vocal cords."

"You sarcastic little--"

"Be nice, Rosabel," scolded Nikola teasingly.

I huffed, turning away from him. He stopped playing and poked my side. I convulsed, and whipped around.

"Don't _do _that!" I shouted, clutching my sides protectively. That bastard, he knew I was ticklish there!

He just laughed at me, drinking more of his wine. "I dearly apologize, Rosabel."

"I'd believe it if you meant it," I grumbled, walking from the bench to the small armchair where I sat with my book. He chuckled and turned back to the piano, and while I read, he played. It was actually a really nice moment...If only it wasn't Nikola Tesla who was playing.

* * *

Nikola was on his seventh Chopin song when I finished the book. It hadn't helped much; it was mostly centered on the mythological aspect of Abnormals and contained only one line pertaining to the Source blood. I would need any notes Helen Magnus had taken regarding it if I hoped to get anywhere.

"Finished with your research already?" called Nikola, fingertips dancing unceasingly over key after key.

I didn't reply, just sat quietly in the armchair and watched him play. He glanced at me over his shoulder and smirked comfortably.

"Come over here," he said. "I have a new song I want to teach you."

There was something in his voice that seemed different, gentler, maybe. I fidgeted under his stare, feeling awkward for the first time around him. Immediately I froze. What the _hell_? Why around _him_? I didn't like this feeling, I didn't like his tone, and I did _not_ like this whole cushy, comfortable atmosphere. No, no, no. This is not how it went. This was upsetting the natural order of things! No!

_He's doing this to mess with me! He's going to lure me into safety and then whoosh! He'll pull the whole thing out from under me!_

I stood as calmly as I could, despite my wildly beating heart. His smirk grew a little, strengthening my theory.

"I have work to do, Tesla. And so do you."

Without another word, I left.

* * *

A/N: **review.**


	4. Memory's A Funny Thing

A/N: so...i'm continuing the story despite the two very long negative comments....

* * *

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, removing my glasses with a sigh. Henry came in and set a mug of coffee next to me, and I reluctantly looked away from the computer screen.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

"No problem." Henry seated himself in front of his screen. "How's it coming?"

"It's not." I sipped the coffee and it hit my throat like a blessing. "I've hit a damn brick wall and it's not budging."

"Why don't you take a break?" he suggested. "I don't think you've even left this room in over twelve hours."

_Fourteen, actually._

"The Cabal isn't resting," I snapped. "They have people working around the clock, and if I don't crack this code soon, they'll have the advantage over us. I have to solve this."

"That's all good, Rose, but you can't help us if you pass out from exhaustion."

_I can't take a break. If I do, I'll run into _him_ again, I just know it._

"At least get something to eat."

"No," I said. "I told you, I'm fine."

For a moment, we just looked at each other. Then he stood, wearing an exasperated expression. "Out."

"Huh?"

He pushed on my chair, wheeling me out the door.

"Hey!"

"You are officially banned from this room until you get either sleep or food."

* * *

I was honestly not hungry, so instead I took the long way around the Sanctuary to my room. I didn't think I would be able to get the data out of my head long enough to sleep, but by the time I reached my room I was exhausted. My hand had only just touched the handle, however, when an extremely annoying, recognizable voice said, "Turning in early?"

"My God, Tesla, are you stalking me?" I asked tiredly.

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. I sighed.

"I'm not 'turning in early'. I haven't stopped working for fourteen hours."

"You say that like it's my fault." He grinned.

_Frankly, it is. Not that I'll ever give you the satisfaction of knowing._

"Just let me go to sleep, Nikola. Please?"

All traces of his signature smirk vanished suddenly and he stepped back. I entered my room and collapsed onto my bed, realizing a split second before I fell into a deep slumber that I had actually called Nikola Tesla by his first name.

* * *

Will walked idly down the hallway on his way to check on Henry. Nikola brushed past his shoulder and Will turned.

"Hey," he called. "Have you seen Rose?"

"What am I, her babysitter?" the half-vampire snapped.

Will blinked. "Uh--"

"She's in her room, sleeping." With those grumbled words, Nikola ignored the other man and strode right into Magnus's office. He slammed his hands down on her desk and said loudly, "I want her gone."

Helen looked up, knowing at once who he was speaking of. "I'm sorry, Nikola, but we need her."

"I can't _work_ with her around!"

Magnus set down her pencil. "I don't know how you could possibly," she said, "hate someone so much that it affects your work. I purposely put you two on opposite ends of the compound to avoid this problem. The only contact you would have with her is an occasional hallway meeting, purely by chance. I thought it was quite a good setup; you both get to work on the project, you using the wireless connector I installed in her laptop, and I wouldn't have to deal with the fights. Tell me, Nikola: What has she done?"

"Her theory is completely unjustified!" Nikola look both haughty and agitated. "There is no evidence of any kind that suggests she can do what she thinks she can, yet she keeps plowing on like an imbecile. Did she tell you that she never finished her degree in genetics? Or did that just slip her mind?"

Helen looked up at him with a look of _How dare you try to tell me how to run things_. "I am well aware of that fact, Nikola. Despite leaving college without graduating, she is quite brilliant--"

"She doesn't even know the basics of Abnormal physiology, let alone their complex genetic makeup! She thinks she can separate _vampire_ DNA from _human_, for God's sake!"

"You know it's quite possible to do that. I've attempted such a feat before myself. She's creative--"

"She's _insane_!" Nikola spat, quite nearly flinging his arms animatedly. He caught himself just in time; such gestures were unbecoming. "I don't work well with insane, Helen!"

"She seems to be coping just fine with this arrangement, Nikola. I don't see why it's such a problem for you," said Helen, getting more than a little bit sick of the genius.

Nikola burst into a harsh laugh. "No, she's not! She worked for fourteen hours straight, nearly dead on her feet, just to avoid me!"

Helen watched him carefully, and then said, "Nikola, how can you be sure of that?"

"I'm a smart man, Helen. I'm sure."

* * *

I woke up late into the night, having fallen asleep at around eight or nine in the morning. I heard a knock at my door and sat up lazily. "Come in?"

As the door opened to reveal Helen Magnus, I sat up straighter. "Helen?"

"Hello, Rose," said Helen in her familiar British accent, smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you. What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven p.m." Helen was silent for a moment. "How is your work coming along?"

I sighed. Gets right to the point, doesn't she? "I'm sorry, Helen, but it's...It's not coming at all. I think I overestimated my abilities." Numbers flooded into my mind as everything from my project came rushing back. "And my data is all wrong. I made mistakes, I...It isn't good."

"Perhaps it can be fixed? Why don't I send Nikola to help you? I'm sure between the two of you--"

"I don't think there's any hope for my original theory, Helen."

She paused. "Care to explain?"

I blinked, trying to word it correctly in my mind before I began speaking. "Nikola allowed a small drop of his blood so I could test the technique, but I'd forgotten that the Source blood didn't _turn_ Nikola into a vampire, it merely stimulated a dormant gene. Any traces of the Source has been completely absorbed by the vampire DNA, and I'm not confident in my ability to separate something that delicate."

Helen sighed but nodded. "That's quite all right, Rose. Nikola has already come up with another solution at any rate."

I struggled to keep my jaw from dropping as I said, "That's what he's been working on this whole time?" She nodded again and I let out a sigh. "Of course he has."

* * *

"Rose, may I ask you something personal?"

"Of course, Helen," I said. I frowned, my brow furrowing. What could she have to ask me that was personal? _Nothing about Tesla, I hope. Not that Tesla and I have anything going on. At all. Ever._

"How much do you remember about the night we first met?"

My frown deepened. "Not much. It's fuzzy. I remember bits and pieces: you stitching the bites and gashes in my legs, my dad's body after the attack..." ..._Nikola playing piano..._ "Why?"

"That's good," she said quietly. Louder, she added, "No reason, Rose. I'll let you rest."

And Helen had left before I could ask her any more questions.

* * *

"She doesn't remember," said Helen softly.

Nikola looked up from his microscope. "Doesn't remember what?"

Helen looked at the half-vampire, really looked at him. The edges of his eyes crinkled with...worry? "She doesn't remember that it was her mother who attacked her. And she doesn't remember it was you who brought her to me in the first place."

* * *

A/N: review please?


	5. Who's the Child Now?

A/N: uhm, okay, well first, to be clear, i mention quite often that Tesla is only half vampire. so yes, i am obviously very aware of that fact. i _have_ actually been taking your criticisms (you know who you are) and using them to improve because (maybe unlike some on this site) it IS my goal in life to be a writer. however, i've often been told that if you change to fit what one person wants or desires or believes, it changes the content or overall idea of your writing, and then you don't write what you want or what you meant to, but what other people believe to be best.

i'm not saying your criticism is wrong. i don't want a two-line review just telling me i'm awesome (even though it does make me feel happy ^_^). i want a long review telling me what the person liked and didn't like about my story. if they're specific, that means that they read the whole way through or they got a joke i put in, or they understood what i was trying to say. but while criticism is nice, balanced reviews are even nicer. i don't just want someone to rip and rip into my chapter. i want them to tell me what they didn't like (maybe delicately? i'm a bit...sensitive...) but then tell me what they DID enjoy and what i've been doing a good job on, so i know what i don't HAVE to work on.

and i wasn't passively aggressively saying to shut up. i don't think i'm a very passive aggressive person. if i wanted you to shut up, i would damn well say so.

and apparently, a fun little fact to accompany your fun little fact: Tesla was celibate. LOL.

sorry for the long author's note, but i figured it was polite to respond to such a very very long review, haha.

* * *

"Rose," called Henry outside my door. "Hey, Rose!" He rapped his knuckles on the wood. "Come on, you can't sulk in your room over your failed theory."

"Why not?" I asked from the other side.

"Because it makes you seem like you're ten."

There was silence for a little bit. "Twelve, actually," was my feeble reply.

Henry laughed a little. I cracked open the door an inch or so, pouting and feeling incredibly immature.

"Can't I just stay in here for a little bit longer?" _Man, am I pathetic or what._

"It's been three hours since you've been awake, we need you back on the project."

"You have Tesla working the project," I said grumpily. "What do you need me for?"

A look of understanding crossed Henry's face and for a moment, I panicked. "Oh," he said. "Is that what this is about?"

"No."

"You're lying. It has to do with Tesla. Do you guys really hate each other that much?"

"Yes," I said hastily. _Hate. I like that explanation._

"Wait." In an unusual burst of insight, Henry said, "It's not hate, is it? There's something else going on."

"Nope, nothing else, just hate, lots and lots of hate, bundles of hate, _waterfalls _of hate," I sputtered, rambling. _Why not flash a neon sign, ya genius?!_

"I'll figure it out eventually," he warned before walking away. "And seriously, Rose, can you start working again soon?"

* * *

"I know what's going on."

Nikola looked up sharply at Will's confident voice. The other man stood just in the doorway of the room while Nikola himself was bent over the computer.

"What are you talking about, boy?"

"Your problem with Rose," said Will simply, as if this were the most casual topic in the world. "I know it's not hate or even a battle of intelligence, which you would probably have won anyway, so you can stop pretending now."

Straightening, Nikola replied stiffly, "While I appreciate the unintentional compliment regarding my intelligence, I have no idea what you're referring to."

"You like her," the other stated bluntly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't you?"

"I believe I've told you once before, William, that love is a self-destructive emotion disguised as joy."

"Doesn't change the fact that you like Rose. I mean, _really_ like Rose. All the signs are there, Nikola. And even though you've been in love 'countless times', as I recall, you don't seem to know how to handle it. Or is she just special?"

"Oh, yes, she's special," said Nikola cynically. "As special as a snowstorm in December."

Ignoring that comment, Will continued. "That's why you argued with Magnus. You realized your feelings and you, put simply, freaked, so you figured you'd just get rid of the problem. I don't think you ever thought you'd love anyone after Magnus. Well," he smiled, "that's my theory, anyway."

"I will thank you," Nikola said crossly, "to keep your theories to yourself."

"Okay." Will held up his hands in surrender. "I can see when I'm not wanted."

When Nikola was sure the man had gone, he muttered, "Cheeky boy, getting his chuckles on my discomfort."

He walked to the table farther from the door, on which sat his microscope and a thick pile of notes. He glanced into the scope, replaced the slide with a fresh one, and blinked.

"Ohoho," he said. "This is interesting."

A quick glance at the top pages of notes sent a grin blossoming on his face. "Very interesting."

He walked at a quick pace through the door, the notes clutched tightly in his hands. John made a move as if to stop him in the hallway and Nikola held up the hand devoid of papers, saying, "Can't talk, about to go gloat."

* * *

He dropped the papers onto the desk with a cocky and said, "Read 'em and weep, my dear. Proof that I am indeed your mental superior."

For a moment, I simply stared, certain that I was hallucinating. I gaped at Nikola, as Chopin played in the background. This gave the half-vampire pause, and he pointed at the speaker with a renewed burst of smugness.

"Taken a liking to piano, have you?" He chuckled shortly and then pushed the papers toward me. "Here it is, darling. Fourteen pages of notes that prove I can accomplish what you could not."

I seized the papers, eyes scanning them quickly. _What? _"You finished the project?"

"I came up with a _usable _technique to separate the Source blood." So saying, he grinned again.

I glared at him. "So you just came to gloat?"

"Mmm, more or less." He waited for a moment. "I need some blood, Rosabel. Care to donate?"

"_WHAT?!_"

He rolled his eyes. "For the _project_."

"Oh." I exhaled in relief. "Can't you get samples from Will or Henry instead?"

"William, yes. Henry, no," he said. "I need human blood, pure human blood. More than one sample would be nice. Therefore, you and William."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "And of course it isn't possible for you to just revert to your old ways and get blood from unsuspecting victims outside the Sanctuary." I was, obviously, being sarcastic.

Nikola flashed me another grin. I was getting just a tiny bit tired of his grins. "Well, naturally it's possible. But we both know Helen frowns upon my usual methods."

* * *

I waited until he had left before bringing the papers he had so graciously shoved in my face back to eye-level. I read them quickly, frantically. As I flipped through them, my face burned in humiliation. It wasn't just that he had figured it out, or that he had done it faster than me. It was that the solution was so simple, so unbelievably simple, and I hadn't seen it.

* * *

Helen didn't frown or shake her head like I had expected. In fact, this was the first time I had seen her honestly surprised.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" she asked.

I fidgeted slightly and she continued, "You've only been here four days."

"I'm sure Nikola has informed you by now that he has completed a method of removing Source DNA and safely duplicating it," I replied carefully. "You have no further use for me."

"Nikola has many projects to work on, we can always use a mind such as yours--"

"Thanks for the effort, Helen." I gave her a smile smile. _But Nikola obviously doesn't want me here. And I don't want to be around him when he has this kind of power over me. _I remembered the look on his face when he heard the piano music I had been playing in my work space. _Especially when he knows he has the power. _"But my mind is made up."

* * *

Nikola walked, humming contentedly, back into his lab. There were six vials of blood on the desk with his scope, a note on top. It read simply, _I'm type O. But you probably already knew that. _The handwriting he recognized as Rose's.

"Tesla!"

He turned. Helen stormed up to him angrily, her dark hair surrounding her enraged face.

"What did you say to her?" she demanded.

Nikola frowned confusedly.

"Rose! What did you say to Rose! I know you have something to do with it! She's decided she's leaving!"

He blinked as it processed. _Rosabel is leaving? _He knew he should be excited; his domain was his, alone, again. But instead, he felt a kind of fright. Panic? Why on Earth would he be panicked that the pain-in-his-ass girl was leaving?

"That's out of character," he said finally. "She usually bounces right back. She doesn't give up."

"Oh, you selfish, arrogant child! Can't you realize that something you've done has upset her?"

* * *

A/N: okay, please review. and i am speaking to everyone.


	6. Revelations

A/N: okay. so. is everyone still alive out there? not as many reviews on the last chappy.

not cool, dudes. and dudettes.

on with the story!

* * *

"What are you doing?"

I jumped, whirling in a circle, my hand fluttering to my heart. "Henry! You scared me."

Henry looked past me to where my sparse belongings, teleported by John from my apartment days before, lay on my bed.

"Oh, I..." I shifted a little to try and block his view. "Nothing."

Henry looked tired. "Rose, please. Just stop pretending and tell me." He sounded as if he were used to people leaving, and I caved immediately.

"I'm packing," I said guiltily. "I leave in an hour or so."

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

"I can't stay here, Henry." I shook my head. "I can't..."

"It's Nikola, isn't it?" My eyes widened and he nodded. "I figured. It was nice working with you." He turned away.

"So...that's it?" I asked incredulously.

"I've figured out how stubborn you can be," he said. "I know not to try and convince you to stay."

* * *

"Come on, Magnus, can you at least _try _and convince her to stay?"

Helen watched as Henry paced the length of her office incessantly.

"I thought you said you just talked to her." Her eyes followed him back and forth and back until they began to tire. "Henry, for God's sake, stop pacing!"

"I did just talk to her," he said.

"Well, didn't _you_ try to convince to her stay?"

"No." He spoke as though it were obvious. "She'd never listen to me. She needs _you_ to tell her to stay."

"I can't force her to stay, Henry. If she wants to go, she's free to go."

"See," said Henry, approaching her with a finger pointed, his face a cross between humor and anger, "it's that attitude that is letting her walk out of here. It's Nikola's fault; can't you get him to apologize?"

"Nikola," Helen clarified. "You want me to get Nikola Tesla to apologize."

"Yeah!" Henry said with conviction. "Use that..." He gestured with his hand. "...feminine charm or whatever."

"Feminine charm? Oh, Henry, even you should know I have none of that left."

* * *

Nikola worked with intense focus; cleaning a new slide, inserting a sterilized dropper into Rose's first test tube of blood, and squeezing a small drop onto the glass. Helen had gone an hour or so ago, probably to make another attempt at convincing Rose to remain at the Sanctuary. He placed a cover over the slide.

"_Medicate here with me, now as we lose ourselves in this and--_" Nikola stopped abruptly when he realized he had been singing. Not only that, but he had been singing that dreadful noise that Rose enjoyed. The blasted song was stuck in his head! He grimaced in disgust, leaning forward to look into the microscope.

His plan was to oversee the effects when he mixed his own Source-altered blood with that of a human. He was confident that, given time, he could slowly strip away the vampire and human still remaining in the DNA until the Source blood was concentrated enough to have some effect. But something wasn't right about Rose's blood. Nikola frowned. This was similar to something he'd seen before. He walked over to the computer and brought up some of Helen's old files. There. A picture of the sample of Source blood and its DNA structure. The Source blood sample looked nearly identical to Rose's. Thinking it impossible but wanting to be sure, Nikola loaded Rose's file and compared the DNA side by side. His eyes widened.

"Helen!" he called, running out of the room. "Magus!!"

* * *

"Magnus!" Henry burst back through her door, breathless."

"Henry? Again?" she asked. "What is it?"

He held up a small circular black object. "I found this in Rose's room. It must have fallen off of one of her things or been teleported back with John--"

"What is it?" Helen repeated.

He took a gasping breath. "It's a bug. A tracer. Someone's been tracking Rose and now they know she's been in contact with us."

* * *

"Where ya been, Rose?" called my neighbor across the hall.

I gave the aging man a weak smile. "Oh, you know. Work. Got called on a special job." _Not technically a lie._

The man, Alvie as he wanted me to call him, chortled. "Work. Good one, Rose. You and me both know you been outta work for months now." He pointed to the corner of the hallway. "That come for you few hours ago."

I thanked him and picked up the light package. It was small and square, no return address. I brought it into my apartment, closed the door, and opened the box on my kitchen counter. I froze. There lay a sealed, sterile, blood-filled syringe and a handwritten note. The note said in neat, cursive letters, _For your treatment._ For a moment, I debated taking it at all. This would be the last dose. Then, however, thoughts of the nightmares, the apocalyptic visions, the scratches that appeared as if from invisible monsters, all of it filled my head. All of it would stop. I picked up the syringe, inserting the needle carefully in the inside of my left arm. I emptied the contents directly into my bloodstream and then, quite dramatically I must say, I fainted.

* * *

A/N: alright everyone! all your reviews are appreciated! please let me know what you think. i shouldn't have to ask for reviews at the end of every chapter, lol. you should just do it cuz you love me. ^_^


	7. To Be or Not to Be? Dead, That Is

A/N: alrighty then. glad most of you don't want me to quit yet. here's the next chapter. it's not very long, and for that i apologize. i've been a little pressed for time recently. sorry.

and on we go.

* * *

Nikola sat as stiff as a board, seething in silence. Well, maybe not silence, per se...

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he said harshly.

Henry stopped talking abruptly with a sigh. He had been trying to explain the series of tests he was planning to run on the tracer in Rose's things to find where it was transmitting to.

"We already know who bugged her," Nikola continued. "It was the goddamn Cabal."

"We don't know that for sure," protested Helen.

"Yes, we do, Helen. And the longer we sit here--"

"Lower your voice, Nikola."

"All I'm saying is..." He looked at the other men in the room. John was the only one who looked unconcerned. "It wouldn't _hurt_ to teleport on over to her apartment."

"I don't like her," said John in his low voice.

"Get over the biting thing, John!" snapped the half-vampire.

"Fine," Helen said suddenly. "We'll just peek in to see how she's doing. If only for the sake of Nikola's sanity, John, please teleport him to Rose's apartment."

"You're coming with me, Helen." John grunted. "Bring your gun."

* * *

They appeared in the apartment seconds later.

"Rosabel!" called Nikola.

There was no answer. John stood uncomfortably, and Helen trailed after Nikola, saying, "This is pointless, she's not even home--"

"Magnus!!"

Helen came running into the kitchen to find Nikola kneeling by Rose's jerking body.

"Help her!" Nikola hissed.

Helen tried to hold her still. "She's seizing."

"Help her, damn it!"

"I _can't_, Nikola! You know that! She's having a seizure, there's nothing I can do."

The seizure stopped and as Rose's body went limp, Helen checked her pulse.

"Her heart's stopped, and she's not breathing," she said with a rush of sadness.

"Move," growled Nikola.

He placed his mouth urgently over hers and exhaled. Her chest rose as air filled her lungs, then slowly deflated when Nikola removed his mouth and air was released. He repeated this three more times as Helen watched the desperate man. John came up behind her, his eyes widening as he took in the sigh.

"What's going on?" asked John.

"Rose is dying," Helen replied weakly, riveted on Nikola.

"No!" Nikola's eyes flashed up, furious. "She's not!"

"Nikola..."

"No!"

John reached down and picked up a syringe that lay under the kitchen counter. "Helen?"

"Not now, John."

"Just look at this." He handed it to her.

"Come on, Rosabel," muttered Nikola, his fists trying frantically to restart Rose's heart. "Come on, Bell."

"Nikola, stop. It's been too long. She's dead." Helen covered his hands with hers.

"She can't die, Helen," he said fiercely. "You don't understand! She's unique. Her blood--"

"What are you talking about?" John retorted. "You're prattling on like an idiot."

"She's the Source!" Nikola roared. "You strip away her human DNA and she's pure Source! It's identical! Don't you see? She's the key to everything!"

John snorted. "That and you think she's pretty."

Nikola snarled at the other man.

"Oh, I'm so scared. You know it's true."

Helen looked sadly down at Rose's still face. Another life lost. "Let's get her back to the Sanctuary. I'll have Henry run the tests on the tracer, and I'll try and figure out what was in the syringe."

"I'm not giving up on her." Nikola looked back down at the young woman, defiant.

"You can't let personal feelings interfere with your judgment--"

"It's not personal feelings, Helen! Why am I the only one who sees this? This girl is important!"

Helen sighed and stood, avoiding the sadness she felt at the loss of Rose. "Let's just go, Nikola. Help me with her, John," she said quietly. "Please."

* * *

"She's dead, ma'am."

Julia Proctor didn't face the messenger. She nudged her square-framed glasses a little higher up her nose and nodded. "Very good," she said in a bored tone. "You may go."

The small-statured man nodded nervously and exited the room. Julia looked up from the field report she was reading. She had been in charge of the Cabal for less than six months and already, a successful completed plan. She smiled to herself. Very good indeed. The naive child had taken the 'treatment'. She was probably blissfully unaware of what she really was, and perhaps the great Helen Magnus didn't even know. And if she did, she had most likely not told Rosabel Page anything anyway. It wasn't the way she worked. She pressed her index finger to the intercom at her right.

"Mr. Buxton?" she spoke into the microphone.

"Is it done, Miss Proctor?" came the gruff reply.

"Yes. Commence phase two." Julia smiled. "Attack the Sanctuary."

The last one in charge of this mission had bungled it, not taking into account human emotions. That, plus going after the entire Sanctuary network was a fool's errand. Julia herself was counting on emotion to be their downfall. And she had just planted the perfect tool to accomplish the Cabal's goal.

* * *

I woke up on a long metal table, my clothes gone. I didn't remember how to breathe, but some small part of my mind told me that I didn't have to. I put a cold hand to my neck. No pulse. Not that I had expected one.

After all, I was dead.

* * *

A/N: sorry it's so short. please review? it's not done yet, don't worry.


	8. Do Not Believe List

A/N: sorry this took so long. auditions for our spring musical were today!! :DD

so i was panicking for that over the last few days. alrighty.

on with the lovely story, my lovely readers! ^_^

* * *

"You seem to be taking this rather well," said John, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nikola was leaning back against the couch.

"Well, considering your little breakdown at her apartment and the fact that Magnus hasn't left her office in three days, you're certainly handling Rose's death rather well." John stared at his glass for a moment. "It's almost as bad as when Ashley died. Helen just hates losing people."

Nikola didn't reply, swishing his own drink in the crystalline glass. He glanced to the corner at the piano and quickly away. John had caught it, however.

"Or maybe you're not handling it well at all." John raised his eyebrows.

"Of course I am. Don't be stupid." Nikola downed the glass. "What about you? Even for you, your actions at her apartment were really quite out of character."

John merely shrugged. He lifted his drink in a toast. "To Rose, then." He drank it swiftly, refilling it with ease. "I suppose this isn't very new for you. After all, we've both seen so many people die. I'm curious, Nikola, what was she to you? A loved one, a friend, a colleague, a random girl?"

"Did I ever grill you this much when Ashley died?" Nikola snapped, slamming his glass on the coffee table with a look of ferocity.

John again raised his glass, this time in Nikola's direction, and said sadly, "I guess we all deal with death differently."

* * *

The lower level of the Sanctuary was ridiculously confusing.

"It's like a freaking labyrinth down here!" I muttered.

I'd been able to find a hospital gown down in the morgue-like room I had awakened in, so thankfully I was no longer naked. I turned a corner, hit a dead end yet again, and swore. Time to call for help.

"Hello!" I yelled. My voice bounced back at me. I giggled. Who'd have thought there was an echo down here? "Echo!" _Echo....echo....echo...._"_Hello_!"

Then, slowly, I began to panic. What if I wasn't in the Sanctuary?

"HELLO! Helen! Will!"

I took a few more steps down the hallway and then broke into a run. "Henry! Nikola! Anyone?!"

* * *

Nikola was leaving the library, wishing for wine instead of whiskey. John, however, was man of different tastes. He could probably raid Helen's wine cellars again...John's last comment leaked into his mind.

"So what happened to all that about Rose being important?" he had asked.

Nikola had taken a deep breath, tried to remain calm. She was just a dead girl. No personal feelings involved.

"She was," he replied. "Still is. We'll just have to drain her blood."

It sounded really quite gruesome. Helen wouldn't be able to assist him, at least not immediately. The dead girl was still Rose, after all. He opened the door that led to the cellars and a faint voice trickled up. He froze.

"Nikola! Anyone?!"

Dear God, that sounded like...that sounded like Rose. And she had said his name.

* * *

"Source blood," spoke Helen in wonder. "So that's what happened to the last of the Source blood."

"What?" Henry tried to peek over her shoulder, but his short legs just wouldn't allow it. "What am I looking at?"

"The syringe that Rose injected. It was filled with Source blood." Helen shook her head at the screen, nearly disbelieving the results. "She'd been injecting it for months."

"Wouldn't that kill her?" asked Henry. "Or change her or something like with The Five?"

"If Rose's genetic makeup was already predisposed to the Source blood, nothing at all would happen. If the Source DNA Nikola found was a result of the injections, then it barely changed her at all. But if Nikola was right and her DNA was already that of the Source..."

"What would the blood do?"

"Nothing," said Helen incredulously. "It would do absolutely nothing. I can't see how anyone would benefit from poisoning her with toxic blood from her own system."

She turned to a different screen, becoming increasingly rational. "There was a note with the package that said _For your treatment_. I want to know what she was treating and who was treating her. Have you had any luck figuring out who sent the package?"

"None." Henry's mouth tweaked to the side. "Whoever it was covers their tracks extremely well. And a handwriting analysis doesn't bring up anyone in the system."

Helen sighed. "Alright, Henry. Just keep trying."

* * *

"Stairs!" I scrambled up the first few steps, my legs a little shaky. Oh thank God, I was going to get out of this hellhole. And there was an open door! Ha! The hallway looked like the Sanctuary! Yes, yes, yes!

I bounded into the hallway, the light hitting my eyes harshly. I turned, and suddenly froze. Nikola stood by the door, his eyes wide, his stance limp.

"Nikola!" I burst into a grin and ran at him. He snarled and I stopped. "What the hell?"

"Who are you?" he growled.

I put my hands on my hips. His features changed to his more vampiric side. "Rosabel freaking Page. I'm almost positive we have met before." _Sarcasm: not always the best way to go with him, but seriously, what the hell?_

"Bell is dead." He took a threatening step toward me. _Did he just call me Bell? _"She doesn't call me 'Nikola'."

"Yeah, the dead thing needs some explaining..." I trailed off. "Who are _you_? Nikola Tesla definitely does _not_ call me 'Bell'."

"I'm going to ask one more time before I rip your throat out. Who are you?"

"I told you!" I said exasperatedly. "It's me! Rose!" I snorted. "Honestly, with everything you've seen, people coming back from the dead really shouldn't be that high on your Do Not Believe list."

Without another word, Nikola simply launched himself at me.

* * *

A/N: it's still really short. but i'm sooooo rushing. :(

i'm sorry! don't kill me!

review!


	9. New And Apparently Improved

A/N: next chapter. this took longer than i had hoped...

things are just so busy...

* * *

Despite the suddenness of his attack, I was able to side-step just enough so that Nikola's lunge caught me on the shoulder. My flesh burned as he, in full vampire mode, ripped into my shoulder and dragged me to the ground. Adrenaline and pain filled my body. Wait a damn second. I was dead, wasn't I? That's what the treatment was supposed to do. Change me from the inside, stop my heart, end that previous life. They told me that would stop the nightmares and visions. So why was blood pouring from the gashes? Why was the euphoria of adrenaline exploring my veins when my heart didn't beat?

Nikola took a swipe at my head, but I moved at the last second.

"What is _wrong_ with you, Tesla?" I yelled, pushing hard on his chest.

He flew off of me and sat on the floor for a few seconds, dazed. I blinked. Wait another damn second. _I _had done that? I looked down at my hands.

"Huh. That'll make this a fairer fight."

Nikola snarled.

"Will you stop?" I snapped. "For three seconds? Please? Let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain. You're not Bell." His fist shot out and caught me on the jaw. My head snapped back, pushing me to the floor again.

"Yes, I am!" I protested, hitting back. My knuckle hit his lip.

Nikola sprang back, crouching, and then he attacked again. I grabbed his wrist and squeezed as the other hand scraped past my cheek, shallowly slicing the skin.

"When I was twelve--" I began, determined to prove it.

"No!" Nikola leaned his full body weight into me, crashing against my chest. He ripped his wrist from my grasp and closed his hand around my throat. "No more lies!"

As I struggled against him, it was true that I no longer needed to breathe to live. He would figure that out sooner or later and simply tear my jugular out, and I had no idea what that would do to me, dead or not. But breath was still necessary to talk.

"Nik..." I began. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged harshly. With my new strength, it was hard enough for him to loosen his grip for a moment, and I inhaled hastily. When his hand closed again, I tugged on the folds of his suit jacket and pulled him down to me so I could speak directly in his ear. "When I was twelve, you taught me Chopin's Raindrop Prelude."

Abruptly, he released me. His eyes were wide with...Was that really _fear_?

"Rosabel," he said, his voice a low growl. "How?"

"Finally, you believe me?" I coughed a little, rubbing my neck. "My God, Tesla, that _hurt_!"

"Sorry. I'm not very used to people coming back from the dead," Nikola snapped. He pressed a finger to his mouth. "And I do believe you have split my lip."

"I'm sure you'll live. If you'll excuse the pun." I stood, dusting myself off. "Now, I need you to do me a favor and take me to Helen--Whoa!"

In the middle of my sentence, Nikola had grabbed my wrist and pulled me flush against him. It was a hug. An actual hug. From the Ice Prince himself. Maybe I had stepped into an alternate reality.

"Next time you decide to die," said Nikola, releasing me and stepping back, "give the rest of us a little warning?"

I rolled my eyes. "Will do, Tesla. Will do. Now, more importantly: What's with this 'Bell' business?"

Nikola raised his eyebrows, his eyes drifting suddenly. "Even more importantly, Rosabel: why are you naked?"

I looked down and yelped. The simple hospital gown had been ripped to shreds during the tussle and neither of us had noticed. I scrambled to cover myself. Nikola began to laugh.

"It's not funny!" I protested.

"Yes, it is." He smiled and took off his suit jacket, tossing it at me. "Here."

"You're loving this, aren't you?" I glared fiercely, putting on the jacket which was thankfully large enough to cover most of everything. It occurred to me how simple it was for him and I to go back to how things used to be.

"Yeah," he said. "A little."

* * *

"Helen," Nikola called, unable to conceal a small grin. "I have a present for you."

I jumped dramatically into the doorway, arms spread, mouth wide in a comical smile. "Merry Christmas!"

Helen's face lit up as she looked away from her computer screen. Henry sat wide-eyed.

"Rose," Helen breathed.

"The new and apparently improved," I replied in a game-show-hostess voice.

"How is this possible?" Helen now turned to Nikola, who merely shrugged.

"I'll let Rosabel explain that one," he said.

* * *

A/N: again, short. but the next chapter does a lot of explaining, so it'll be worth it. review pretty please. with sprinkles on top?


	10. I'll Take That Wine Now

A/N: school has been totally flooding my mind. thankfully i've been sick for the last four days, so i've been able to scrape this out.

enjoy.

* * *

"Ever since I was young," I said, "I've been having strange things happen to me."

"The attack when she was a child triggered something dormant in her brain, similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, only--" Nikola stopped, catching the glare I'd thrown at him. "Ah, right. Rosabel?"

"Thank you," I said through gritted teeth. Yes, I had explained everything to him on the way to Magnus--after getting clothes--but I had specifically told him that _I _wanted to be the one to explain it. My situation, my explanation. Simple to understand, right?

"Anyway, as I was saying, I've been having nightmares for the past ten years."

Helen was standing perfectly still, and she still looked as though she expected this all to be a lie and for me to just topple over, really and truly dead this time. Henry kept lurching forward as if he was about to hug me, then stepping back, resigned. Nikola took a compulsive sip of his wine, probably to keep his mouth occupied so he didn't take my pause as an opportunity to interrupt. And Will looked downright fascinated with every word I said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Helen.

"You would have put me under observation, drug trials, experimental treatments," I protested gently. "I love you, Helen, really, but I was barely twelve when I left here to live with my grandparents. When I was old enough to realize what was going on, I had a life. I thought I could handle it on my own."

"But, Rose," she argued, "you can't possibly handle this by yourself! Do you know what it all means? If you're experiencing this, it means you're changing--" She stopped abruptly, as if suddenly aware she had said too much.

I opened my mouth to continue on my explanation, but then asked, "What aren't you telling me, Helen?"

If someone had warned me previously that it was possible for Helen Magnus to look sheepish, I would have called them crazy. "It's nothing, Rose--"

"Oh, just tell her, Helen," said Nikola with a lazy flick of his hand. He swirled the wine in his glass, glancing up at me. "She'll only get agitated if you don't."

"Rose..." Helen sighed. "You aren't fully human, Rose. Your mother was an Abnormal, a race of so called 'shape-shifters', if you will. In reality, they are nothing more than easily-changeable humans; as they age, the pure-blooded ones go through a series of quick changes, and people seeing them during that point in their lives see them in a variety of forms, earning them that ridiculous identity. It's also rumored they have some psychic abilities, which could explain your visions and night terrors."

I blinked. "I'm sorry. You lost me at 'your mother was an Abnormal'." A few seconds passed, and I blinked again, adding, "And if I was part shape-shifter or whatever, why haven't I changed yet? The only bodily changes I've experienced was puberty, and I don't think that counts."

"It's possible the human portion of your DNA has halted the shifting process," said Helen, theorizing. "Which is probably for the better, considering shape-shifters were also extremely violent and temperamental during a change, resulting in violent behaviors—"

Helen paused and I could practically see the bomb being dropped.

"Rose…" Helen began again.

"Wait," said Nikola, interrupting. "I need more wine."

I gaped at him. "Are you serious?"

"Have you ever known me to joke about my wine, Rosabel?" Nikola's eyes narrowed. "Go get me another bottle."

"Can't it wait?" I flung my arm out exasperatedly. "Come on, I'm in the middle of—"

"Wine, Rosabel."

"Ugh!" I stormed out of the room, yelling for good measure, "Insufferable!"

Nikola's mocking voice trickled behind me. "Look at that. Rosabel knows a big word."

* * *

"What was that?" asked Helen, advancing on the half-vampire.

"You were about to tell her." Nikola set his empty glass on the table with a forlorn look.

"She deserves the truth!" Helen said angrily.

"Not all of it." Nikola's voice matched her raised volume, but he was still relatively calm. "Knowing that would only hurt her."

"So you suggest we never tell her?" she accused. "That we lie to her her whole life?"

"We've been lying to her for her whole life so far!" Nikola snapped. "What's an extra decade? Look, I'm only suggesting we don't tell her just yet. She's got a lot to deal with as it is."

* * *

"Here's your stupid wine." I chucked the bottle at him as he grinned widely.

He caught it with ease and turned it to read the label. "1697. Good year."

I rolled my eyes. "Happy now?"

"Extremely." He flashed me a smile and a wink. "Carry on."

"You were saying, Helen?" I asked, ignoring the warmth that rushed to my cheeks at his reponse.

Helen looked at me. "What? Oh, no, it's nothing, Rose. Please, continue."

"It's not nothing, Helen." I started to laugh. "You just told me I'm part Abnormal!"

"And you just came back from the dead, Rosabel," said Nikola. "I think that takes precedence."

"Right." I cleared my throat, giving Helen a 'this-isn't-over' look. "My nightmares and visions have been going on for years. They were getting…unbearable to live with. About six months ago, I was contacted by a company who said they could help. I would take six monthly blood treatments." Here, I paused, looking guilty. "It was Source blood. I didn't ask where they got it; I think I had to sign a contract or something…"

"You signed a contract?" asked Will incredulously.

"I realize," I said, putting a hand to my temple, "that it wasn't my smartest move. But anything to get those nightmares to stop."

"Did they tell you what the Source blood was doing to your genetics?" Helen demanded.

I felt my eyes widen. "What's it doing to my genetics?"

Nikola chuckled, sipping his newly-filled glass of wine. "Don't scare the poor girl, Helen." He tilted his head towards me. "You're the new Source, my dear. An impure, imperfect Source, but nonetheless. Here, Rosabel, have a drink of wine."

"What is it with you and wine?" I blurted. "I don't want wine, Tesla."

"Suit yourself." He watched me, eyes locked, and drained the last of the liquid in his glass. And again, I blushed like a fool. "All they told Miss Page here was that the treatment would condition her body and she would learn to live without a beating heart. Then, in theory, the strained signals in her brain would stop."

I stared disbelievingly. "Hey! My explanation, remember?"

He gazed at me innocently and said, "You were taking too long." He poured another glass, the crimson liquid sloshing neatly inside. I secretly wished he'd spill the whole thing down his front. "Maybe next time, you could grab some white wine as well? I'm sure you'd enjoy white wine, Rosabel."

"Do you remember the name of the company?" Will leaned against Helen's desk. "Did you ever talk face to face with anyone from it?"

"The company was called Echo Medical," I replied with an assured nod. "They're like a medical supplier for Abnormals. And no."

"It doesn't make any sense," said Helen. "There is no science to suggest this is actually possible. There must be something else going on."

"Let me know when you figure it out," I grumbled.

"Yes, Helen, why don't you get started on that?" Nikola stood confidently. "I'll join you in a moment, but first there are some more things Rosabel and I must discuss."

Helen looked upset about being dismissed by Nikola, but must have realized something I didn't, because she left. Will followed, putting his hand on my shoulder as he passed. When I turned back to Henry, he finally made up his mind whether or not to hug me. He collided heavily against me, his arms finding my waist.

"Oof." I steadied myself.

Over Henry's shoulder, I saw Nikola glaring really quite fiercely at Henry. I frowned confusedly and patted Henry's back. He cleared his throat, releasing me.

"I'm gonna…" He gestured, looking a little lost. "Coming, Helen."

Nikola's evil eyes followed him as he exited.

"Okay, what's with the face?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

He looked at me, his expression smoothing out into surprise. "What face?"

"Obviously you aren't as in-control as you'd like to think. Because your facial expression was somewhere between 'Get struck by lightning' and 'I'll kill you while you're sleeping'."

Nikola scoffed, his low voice like melting butter. "As if I'd kill the boy while he was _asleep_. That isn't elegant or creative. I'd much prefer to fight fairly, inner beast versus inner beast. It could be quite entertaining…"

I groaned. "You know what? If we're going to be talking, I just might take that drink you offered."

* * *

A/N: welll? review, my pretties. please?


	11. Obsessive Compulsive Celibacy?

A/N: well. not many people reviewed...feeling a little discouraged, but okay. enjoy this one please everyone.

* * *

I stared warily at the nearly-clear liquid. "You know, I've always been more of a beer girl--"

Nikola snorted loudly. "Just drink it, Rosabel. Everyone enjoys wine, and it's not like it's going to kill you."

I gave him a look, which he merely chuckled at, and sipped the wine. It hit my tongue with a much less bitter taste than I expected.

"Well?" He grinned, as if he knew what I was thinking. He probably did.

"It's fruitier than I thought it'd be." I took another sip.

Nikola laughed at me and said, "You see? I know you quite well, don't I?"

I grunted. He didn't have to get all smug about it. "What did you have to talk to me about?"

His smile softened, and immediately I didn't like where this was going. He patted the seat next to him on the couch, but I steadfastly refused. Stubborn as always, I perched myself on the edge of Helen's desk. Only afterward did I realize that, in my attempt to avoid sitting next to him, I was now sitting on possibly the most uncomfortable seat ever invented. I suppose this was why more people didn't sit on desks in real life. Nikola didn't comment on my choice of sitting places, but he didn't have to: his one raised eyebrow was enough of a comment. I felt my face flush. He, to my dismay, noticed this as well.

"It's very curious," he said in a quiet voice, his eyes carefully on my face, "how you can think you're dead, Rosabel, when you so obviously have a beating heart that reacts."

"I'm not reacting to anything," I protested shortly. _Load of crap._

"Oh yes, I'm sure the pink color on your cheeks has always been there, and will continue to be there even when all your blood is gone." He was mocking me, I knew he was, but there was nothing in his tone to betray it.

"Besides, I don't have a beating heart." I lifted my chin haughtily and smiled. "No heartbeat. I checked myself."

"You're hardly a doctor, Rosabel--" He set down his glass, intending to lecture me, but I cut him off.

"I think I know what a heartbeat sounds like, Tesla." My eyes narrowed as he stood, approaching me. "What are you doing?"

"Double-checking." He reached out for my neck and, in a moment of panic, I batted his hand away.

"Just because you have obsessive-compulsive disorder," I snapped, "doesn't mean I'm wrong about having a _beating heart_!"

He rolled his eyes, reaching again. This time, I grabbed his wrist and held it tightly. "I don't have obsessive-compulsive disorder," he said.

I lifted my eyebrows, and he scowled. "I'm a perfectionist, but that doesn't mean it's OCD."

"Don't hide it for my benefit, Tesla, all the historians say you have the disorder." I smirked, thoroughly enjoying this. "They also said you were celibate."

Nikola's face went white, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Lies."

"Yes, because historians have nothing better to do than spice up the lives of famous dead people." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"I'm not dead yet, Rosabel." Nikola easily removed his wrist from my grasp and placed two fingers against my pulse point. A shiver passed through me, and he looked up at me, slightly concerned.

"Your fingers are freezing," I said grumpily.

"Stop complaining, Rosabel." But he smiled nonetheless. "No heartbeat."

"I _told_ you!" I exhaled, pouting. "See? You didn't believe me!"

"I know I didn't believe you. I'm--" He stopped abruptly.

I glanced at him; I'd been avoiding his eyes this entire time. He had seemed about to apologize, but now he had ceased talking altogether and was staring rather obviously at my pouted lip. I froze, hurriedly relaxing my mouth. His gaze, however, remained. I didn't want to talk, or move my mouth at all, but something had to be done. And even with oddly-enhanced strength, the half-vampire would stay where he was if he wanted to be there.

"Uh, Nikola...?"

Riveted on my mouth, he leaned forward. The hand on my neck crept up until it cradled the back of my head. _Okay, what the hell is going on?_

"Nikola! You said you had to talk to me about something?"

He blinked and pulled back. "Yes, of course."

Nikola went back over to the couch, drinking from his glass, while I stared disbelievingly at his back. He didn't even seem _flustered_. It was as if nothing had happened. I tried to relax, flexing my hands--I'd evidently gripped the edge of the desk.

He settled in and then noticed my expression. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I said tightly. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

He smirked, leaning his head somehow suavely on his hand. "Piano lessons."

I gaped openly. "_Piano lessons_?!"

"Yes."

"How are _piano lessons_ important?" I demanded.

"It will help you relax and," here his smirk grew, "help you manage that nasty temper."

"I do _not _have a--" I cleared my throat and said slowly, "I don't have a temper."

"You expressed an interest in piano. Here I am, graciously offering my services, and you are rejecting me without even sparing it a thought." He raised a delicate eyebrow for the second time.

"I can't _believe,_" I hissed, "you would send everyone out of the room--you dismissed _Helen_, for God's sake--just to ask if I wanted piano lessons."

"Can I take that as a no, Rosabel?" He looked smug for some reason.

"Yes." I folded my arms over my chest.

"Yes?" Nikola asked, smiling.

"I mean, no." I blinked. "I mean, yes that's a no. Oh, forget it!" I hopped off the desk with the full intention of leaving. "Unbelievable!"

He chuckled, seeming perfectly content. "Isn't it, though?"

* * *

A/N: sorry it's short. there wasn't much Nikola OC ness going on so i thought i'd use this chapter as an opportunity for that.


	12. Inner Voices Are Usually Right

A/N: this took forever to crank out. writer's block sucks.

i'm so distracted. *sigh*

* * *

_Piano lessons. Was he _serious_?_

I paced the length of the room, Henry's eyes following me carefully. After twenty minutes of trying and failing to focus on the task at hand, I'd simply given up. Henry had been watching me pace for the better part of an hour. He didn't ask--bless him for that--but just let me work this out in my head.

_Piano lessons. Why was that so freaking important?_

_It doesn't help that I really want to learn piano...And that stupid smirk he always has, what is that about? _I felt my cheeks burn as I remembered. _He got so close to me. I'm used to him keeping his distance, but it was...nice..._

I froze. _WHAT THE FREAK AM I THINKING?!_

A quiet voice chimed in, _It doesn't help that you think he's hot._

_I do not! _If I hadn't been blushing already, I definitely was now.

_Yes, you do. Smoking hot. Hotter than the surface of the sun. White hot, sexy piece of--_

I mentally screamed, pounding my fists against my temples.

"I need music," I grumbled, searching for my headphones.

Without a word, Henry reached over and twisted a dial on his computer. Immediately the room was flooded with music.

"Saosin?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I hadn't had him pegged as the Saosin type.

He shrugged, and I shot him a grateful smile. As I hummed along, I realized something.

"He's trying to get inside my head." _That rat bast--_

"Who, Nikola?"

I blinked, looking at Henry, who seemed surprised. When I nodded, realizing I had spoken out loud, he cocked his head.

"That requires planning," said Henry. "I don't think Tesla has a plan for you." He spared at glance at his computer screen. "Hey, why don't you go down to the library or something, take a break?"

"Henry, thanks," I responded, touched, "but I can't. I've taken too many breaks lately--"

"Will's off on a retrieval. Helen's fathering intel, Tesla's finishing up the Source blood project, we're not in immediate danger. There's no reason to rush on the new shield upgrade." Henry flashed me grin. "So go to the library and chill, okay? When you're more focused, you can help. I've got it until then."

I opened my mouth to protest, but something in Henry's tone told me it would do no good. They really were being too lenient with me around here. I hadn't been helping at all, and damn if I wasn't more useless now than ever before. _Stupid Nikola. _

* * *

Nikola stared desolately down at the white and black keys, so clean and organized in their design. So unlike his own thoughts. His wine glass sat untouched to his left as he mulled over the most recent Rose-related events.

_Piano lessons. What was I thinking?_

He admitted he hadn't known what he was going to say once he had gotten her alone. Thankfully, as was expected, Rose herself had helped along a good bit of the conversation. He had imagined mentioning something about the six-month blood injections. But when the time came, directly after a moment of weakness on his part in which, with the image of an unclothed Rose foremost in his mind, he allowed himself much too close to her. He had allowed himself to imagine, as a sweet smell--reminiscent of apples--wafted from her skin, what it would be like to taste not just her blood, but her lips. Her full, pouting, rosy pink lips...He had let himself remember the feel of having her under him as they had been in the hall, only under much different circumstances in a drastically different situation. He shook his head roughly, desperate to rid himself of these thoughts.

_That damned blush of hers does nothing to assist matters either._

He sighed, letting his hands splay over the keys, relaxing, and he rested his head on the piano. He wasn't going to play, after all, just like he wasn't going to work; he was too distracted. And it wouldn't do to try and work in this condition.

"Nikola?"

His body stiffened, tensing at the sound of her voice. _You always know the worst time to show up, don't you, Bell?_

"Rosabel." He turned, forcing himself to relax and smirk. _Pretend everything is normal. _"So you have decided to join me for lessons after all?"

Rosabel, dressed in black jeans and a flowing yellow tank top, bristled immediately. "I didn't come find you _on purpose _if that's what you think! Henry sent me to take a break, so I came here!"

_She looks beautiful, _he thought absently. _Even more so when she's upset with me. _A voice inside his head replied, _Of course she does. That's why you purposely anger her, isn't it? Face it: you always think she's beautiful._

_Yes. Yes, I do. _Out loud, he said, "Come here, Bell. I'll teach you a lullaby."

* * *

The dark-skinned man looked at the members of his team. There were five of them; two female, three male, all deadly. All Abnormal. All gifted. All necessary. He lifted the binoculars and took one last peek, before putting the walkie-talkie to his lips and saying, "Awaiting your signal."

A slightly static-altered voice filtered from the other end. "Go ahead, Mr. Buxton. And remember: I want the girl brought back here. With as little damage as possible, if you please."

"Of course, ma'am." Mr. Tyler Buxton nodded his head once, twice, and the team of heavily armed Abnormals advanced on the Sanctuary.

* * *

A/N: it's short.

i hate myself. . i'm sorry. it'll get better!


	13. The Finished Lullaby

A/N: sorry it's been a month. first update of the new year! :D

enjoy.

* * *

Her capture will tear the Sanctuary apart, shake it down to its very foundation. The kidnapping will ruin them, effect them more than perhaps even Ashley's, if only due to the fact that it had happened again. Helen would never forgive herself for allowing it to happen again.

And, of course, there was the unforeseen bonus of crushing Nikola Tesla in the process.

Miss Proctor folded her hands on her desk, smiling softly to herself. Overconfidence had been the Cabal's downfall many times before, but she could think of no reason to not be confident in this mission. After all, she hadn't underestimated the girl or Helen, and there was a plan for every situation, a secret weapon awaiting in the shadows for every inconvenience. She would not lose. Helen Magnus would fall.

And poor Tesla, suffering from the oh-so-humane indignities of the heart, was going to help them.

* * *

"Lullaby?" I stood warily in the doorway of the library, choosing to ignore that he had again called me Bell. Though my breath--for I still inhaled and exhaled out of habit--quickened, I told myself the nickname and gentle way he spoke it didn't affect me in the least. A small voice in my head said, Liar. I pushed it out of my mind. A slight smile tugged at Nikola's lips, and I felt myself starting to smile in response. _Stop it._

"I'm aware of how much you enjoy Chopin, my dear," he said, "but we really must expand your tastes. Shall we start with Mozart's lullaby?" He lifted the sheet music to show me, and my eyesight, which had gotten mysteriously better after my little adventure with death, allowed me to see the name written in the top right corner.

I frowned, taking a few cautious steps forward. "Mozart didn't write a lullaby."

"Oh contrare, mon cherie." His tone and the accompanying smirk, paired with my own traitorous thoughts, had me blushing. _I'm acting like a lovestruck idiot_. "He wrote several. This one just happens to be unfinished."

"So how are you going to teach me an unfinished lullaby?" I had reached the piano at this point, standing stiffly by where he sat on the bench. There was an untouched glass of wine atop the piano, which immediately struck me as odd. If there was wine in the vicinity, Nikola was all over it. I looked at him, searching his eyes. Was something bothering him?

He held a pencil aloft, winked, and said, "You in?"

"Is that a challenge?" I laughed, seating myself next to him. He shifted slightly, and our legs touched. "Let's do this."

* * *

"Henry?" Will called, jogging into the room. "Hey, Henry, you in here?"

_BAM!_ "Ow!" Henry crawled out from under his desk, rubbing the back of his head. "Give a guy a little warning, will ya?"

Will winced. "Sorry. I'm back from the retrieval, but I need your help categorizing this one."

Henry sighed, brushing dust off of his knees. Will glanced around and asked, "Hey, where's Rose?"

"In the library." Henry glanced at the computer screen, typed something in, and turned back to Will. "She's too distracted to work. What do you think is going on?"

"She's distracted too?" Will frowned. "Magnus was just complaining about how Tesla couldn't focus either."

Upon hearing that, Henry sighed again. "Of course. It has to do with Tesla."

"So you've noticed, too, huh?" Will crossed his arms over his chest, taking on a thoughtful look. "If they don't admit it to each other soon, my head might explode."

"_Your_ head?" asked the other man with a chuckle. "Poor _Rose's _head will explode! Nikola must have some idea of what's going on with them, but Rose is completely in the dark."

Shrugging, Will responded, "I guess something will just have to happen to make her aware."

* * *

When the windows of the library exploded inward, glass shards flying at dangerous velocities, Nikola's first instinct was to shield Rose. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his body, cupping her head. _Nothing must happen to her_, he thought. _Nothing must happen. _He held her tightly, protectively, as the walls around them began to crumble.

* * *

I barely had a second to breathe before Nikola yanked me close to him. I heard the shattering of glass, creaking and smashing of wood and stone. _What's happening? It sounds like the Sanctuary is...breaking._ His arms held me so tightly I felt as though I couldn't breathe. Finally, the floor stopped shaking, and Nikola released me. He stumbled back, and I grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, speaking very tightly as if in pain.

"Yes, I'm fine, why are you..." Then I saw it. The large, jagged pieces of glass sticking out from Nikola's back. "Nikola!"

"It's nothing." He reached around behind him and pulled on one of the pieces. It came free of his flesh with a sickening sound, and he dropped it, where it lay on the carpet, covered in blood. "I'm a vampire, remember? It won't kill me."

"But _God_," I muttered, my eyes never leaving his back, "the pain you must be in--"

He chuckled. "A little pain is nothing, Rosabel. I'm surprised you care."

I stared at him in disbelief, saying, "Of course I care, you imbecile!" Suddenly, my eye was drawn to something bigger than the glass in his back. "Oh my god..."

The entire back wall of the library was gone, ripped away. Standing--no, _levitating_--there were five black-clad people, two female, three male. The man in front was dark-skinned, and I didn't like the way he was looking at me. As if I were his prey. Emblazoned like a badge on his chest was a symbol I swear I'd seen before. One of the women stood next to him, her hand outstretched, and, slowly, she pulled it in to rest at her side. I supposed I could safely assume she was the one to rip the library wall away. One of the others, a man, had a finger to each temple with a concentrated look, and it didn't take much to figure he was the one helping them levitate.

_So they're Abnormals? That symbol, it's Cabal isn't it?_

"Rosabel Page," said the dark man. "Come with us."

* * *

Alarms went off, Henry's computer screen flashing red.

"What is it?" asked Will, concerned.

"Something's happening in the east wing." Henry's eyes were wide. "Something just blasted a giant hole in our EM-shield. I'll try to get visual..." He pressed a few keys on his keyboard, and the screen went black.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Will gave Henry a nervous glance.

"What the...Someone hacked our systems." Henry bolted out of his chair. "This was planned. We're being attacked! Get Magnus, hurry!"

"Henry," said Will, suddenly realizing something. "The library's in the east wing."

"Rose," breathed Henry. "Oh, God, Rose."

* * *

Nikola stepped in front of me, a ferocious look on his face. I shivered. I'd never seen him so angry. He was a force to be reckoned with, despite the glass shards buried in his back.

"She's not going anywhere," he growled.

"I'm afraid she is." The man nodded his head towards Nikola, and the other female's eyes began to glow.

Nikola's entire body began to tense up as I watched, every muscle and limb going stiff. He made a sound like he was choking.

"What are you doing to him?" I demanded. I rushed in front of Nikola, turning my back on the strange people--in retrospect it wasn't that grand of an idea. "Nikola. Nikola!"

His teeth were clenched, but whatever was happening he seemed to be fighting it. "Get...back..." he said. "...behind...me...Bell."

I whirled back on the Abnormals. "Stop it!"

"It's only a bit of pain," said the man. "I'm sure someone so great as Nikola Tesla can handle a bit of pain."

The woman's eyes glowed brighter, and from behind me Nikola grunted as the pain was most likely increased.

"Stop it!" I repeated. "You're hurting him!"

"Will you go with us?" The man cocked his head, watching me with curious, disgusting fascination.

"Bell...don't..." I heard behind me.

I lifted my chin. "Yes."

"Very reasonable. Miss Proctor was right about you." He grinned, showing a mouthful of long, yellow, sharp teeth reminiscent of a shark's. He clicked them together gleefully. "Come here."

Seeing that grin caused some of my brave resolve to crumble, and I hesitated.

Noticing, the man added, "If you do not, we will kill him."

"No!" I burst out quickly. "Don't you dare!"

"Come here," he repeated.

"Bell..." Nikola sounded pained.

I turned to face him, shaking with fear. Not fear for me--fear for him. There was no guarantee they wouldn't just kill him once they had me. He looked in my eyes, desperate to break free of this. He wanted to save me.

"I'll make it stop," I murmured, touching his face gently.

"Come here, Miss Page."

"Bell...no..."

I stepped toward the group and nearly lost my balance as the one lifted me into the air with his mind as well. "I want your word that he won't be harmed anymore."

The man's grin vanished, his face becoming somber, and he said, "I give you my word."

Then, with a flash, the people were gone. And so was I.

* * *

He was released moments before the flash, and, with an animal-like roar, Nikola launched himself towards them. The dark-skinned man gave him another toothy grin, and they were gone.

"NO!" he shouted. "NO! DAMN YOU! ROSABEL!"

_How could she be so stupid?! What was she thinking?! _

_She was saving you, _a small voice answered him.

_Aargh! _He fisted both hands in his hair, kicking at the books that had fallen off the shelves, at the rubble. _Damn, damn, DAMN! Why?! WHY?! I'm supposed to be the one protecting her!_

"Damn!" He launched the coffee table across the room. "Damn!" Reaching around to his back, he violently ripped out the glass that still remained. His mind didn't register the pain. Finally, when everything had been destroyed or broken, yet his rage still remained, he looked towards the corner. The piano had escaped demolition and still stood, his glass of wine intact atop it. With a wordless scream of rage, he swiped his arm at the glass of wine, and it flew until it hit the wall, where it shattered. Red wine dripped slowly down the wall. Breathing heavily, staring at the piano, he had a sudden urge to crush it, to destroy it. He lifted his arms to do just that when something caught his eye.

The lullaby he'd been teaching her just minutes ago. It felt like years had passed. The pencil was nowhere to be seen, but the sheet music was still there. They had finished it, together.

_It had been beautiful, hadn't it? _the voice said suddenly. _And she had smiled at you so beautifully._

His rage suddenly evaporated, and he fell to his knees. "Bell, Bell, Bell..." Her name became his mantra.

The door burst open and Henry, Will, and Magnus came rushing in.

"Good God!" said Will, taking in the damage.

"What happened?" Magnus's eyes found Nikola and she rushed to him. "Nikola, what happened?" She rested a hand on his back and hurriedly drew it away. "You're hurt. Henry, get my--" Helen stopped suddenly. "Rose, where's Rose?"

"Gone," Nikola moaned. "Gone."

"What do you mean 'gone?" Helen demanded. "What on Earth are you--"

"She's gone, Helen!!" he yelled. "Bell is gone! They took her! Those bloody Cabal took her from me! They took my Bell!" He looked up at them all, his eyes glowing a furious red. "And they'll pay for it. Make no mistake; they will pay!"

* * *

A/N: reviews are pretty.

:)


	14. She's Not There

A/N: ahhh it's been a long time since my last update. here you are, duckies. chapter fourteen:)

* * *

I dreamt of Nikola Tesla.

It began with me looking up at him. He was carrying me in his arms, running through woods, tree branches slicing through the moon in the dark sky. The scene flashed to him hovering over me, gently stroking back my hair.

"It'll all be okay," he whispered. "The doctor is almost finished with your leg. You're okay."

Then I was in my apartment, seeing his face in the shadows, watching over me. I'd see him everywhere, ever since I was little. My mind flashed through every memory I had of the man, and then it slipped into dreams of him. I imagined he was holding me; the moment with the Cabal had never happened. The room was dimly lit, and we were lying together, his arms warmly around me. His breath tickled my ear and somehow, inexplicably, I knew he was smiling.

"Bell," he whispered.

I sighed contentedly, leaning my head against his shoulder. "I've been meaning to ask why you call me that."

His grip tightened slightly as he said, "Term of endearment," and kissed my temple.

Then, with a gasp, I woke up.

* * *

Nikola had spent the better part of an hour in a scalding hot shower. He stepped out, steam flooding the room, and used his hand to swipe a section of the mirror clean. He peered into it, leaning both hands against the sink. In the small visible section of mirror, the muscles in his arms flexed, a beautiful girl behind him, her own hands trailing across his back.

"The glass didn't scar," Rosabel said with a smile. "I was worried about that. Didn't want your flawless skin to be marred because of me." She was teasing him, as usual.

"I'm a vampire, Bell," said Nikola. His voice was low, a growling tone. "A little bit of faith would be nice."

"I have faith in you, Nikola." She planted a soft kiss on his cheek, her hair tickling the back of his neck. "I have faith that you'll find me. You'll bring me back."

Slowly, his hand crept up to where hers lay on his shoulder, but when he placed his fingers over hers, he felt nothing besides his own skin.

"Of course I will," he murmured, staring at the space over his shoulder where she had been. "I'm bringing you back, Bell."

* * *

Rose Page was not awake. She was suspended in a thick blue gel, limbs out and away from her, hair around her head like tinted fire and eyes closed. Wires and probes went from her body, everywhere, connected to computers outside her cylindrical glass prison.

"How is she doing?" asked Jane Proctor, observing the young woman in the vat.

A thin, mousy man in a lab coat adjusted his glasses nervously and said, "She's not reacting very well, I'm afraid, Miss Proctor. If we try to siphon out any of her blood she goes into cardiac arrest. We've just now stabilized her for the fourth time, but we can't chance it again until we figure out a way to continuously circulate her blood to somehow trick her body into thinking she's not losing any--"

"Just get it done," Miss Proctor said. "I have a phone call to make."

* * *

Nikola had just finished dressing, preparing in his head what he was going to tell Helen about where he was going. She would know the truth, she always knew, but he would make a valiant effort to lie anyway. The cell phone on the bedside table rang, and he picked it up with an emotionless, "Hello?"

"Why Nikola, you sound well."

He tensed immediately.

"I'm glad my five little pets didn't injure you too severely."

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"Such a mundane question, I'm surprised." The woman's voice paused. "I thought for sure your first question would be what I've done with your Bell. Isn't that what you called her? Your Bell?"

Nikola's grip tightened on the phone until he thought it would simply break. "Now listen to me, I know you're Cabal. Release her or so help me, I will find you and rip you to shreds--"

"While I'm sure the wrath of Nikola Tesla is terrifying, you're in no position to threaten. We have what you cannot possibly bother denying you want. And we'd be willing to give her back."

For a moment, he didn't answer. "What's the catch?" he asked finally.

"The Cabal requires a service from you, involving the betrayal of your colleagues...and Helen Magnus."

Nikola's eyes went to the small, wallet-sized picture on his dresser; Rosabel, age sixteen, smiled from a park bench, a daisy in her hair and the sunlight glinting brightly off her eyes.

"You perform this service, and you will get her back," came the voice through the receiver.

The lullaby trickled into his head, and he bit the inside of his cheek.

"What kind of service?"

* * *

Miss Proctor hung up the phone, smiling. As was expected, Nikola had agreed to their terms. She wasn't, of course, actually going to give the girl back. The part-Abnormal was much too valuable, and they weren't even close to through with her. Once Tesla gave the necessary information and performed his task, he would be lured into an ambush and properly disposed of. Perhaps she would even get the girl to do it, once control had been asserted. The delicious irony of it, so very cliche.

The woman folded her hands together. Everything was--and would continue to be--perfect. She would make sure of that.

* * *

"I can't believe you actually accepted the deal," she said, pacing behind him incessantly while he worked. "I thought you of all people would be smarter than that!"

"Calm down," Nikola replied. "I don't like it much either--"

"Oh, you like it _plenty_, don't think I don't know about your adrenaline kick, you just _love _the thrill of doing something dangerous and not following rules or common sense--"

"--but you should know me well enough to know I have a plan."

"Your plan had better be good." He heard her scuff her foot on the floor and cross her arms. "You're risking the entire Sanctuary network to save me--"

"I'm aware of the risks, Rosabel."

"Then _why_? I don't understand," she sighed.

"Because it's you." He gripped the edges of the table. He wanted to turn around, to look at her directly, but knew she'd only vanish the moment he did. "I can't keep losing you."

She leaned close to him, the smell of apples banishing thought from his head. "The only thing you're losing is your mind."

"I am still _quite_ sane, thank you."

"Sane?" She barked out a laugh. "I'm stuck in some Cabal Cell-Block-of-Doom or something, and you're having hallucinations about me."

"They're not hallucinations."

"Then what are they?" she asked. "I _am _a hallucination, Nikola. You're arguing with _yourself_."

"I'm not--" He spun the chair and abruptly stopped. There was no one in the room with him, and the only sound was the whirring of the computer's hard-drive. She was gone.

Nikola put his head in his hands and breathed deep. "Damn."

"Did you say something?"

He looked up. Helen stood in the doorway, a concerned expression on her face.

"No," he said. "Nothing."

She paused before replying, "We'll get her back, Nikola."

"I know." He nodded curtly and she walked off. "I know I will."

* * *

A/N: review **review **_review _review.

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